


After Happily Ever After

by exclamation



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), avengers endgame - Fandom
Genre: Avengers Endgame Spoilers, F/M, M/M, Missing Scene, One Shot, Post-Canon, endgame fix it fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-02-07 12:13:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18620407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exclamation/pseuds/exclamation
Summary: Peggy Carter got her turn, now Bucky gets his.A little fix for something that happens in Endgame. I'm keeping the description vague to avoid giving Endgame spoilers.





	After Happily Ever After

**Author's Note:**

> So, I went to see Endgame today. This little ficlet will contain spoilers. This story applies a minor headcanon patch to fix a plot point that annoyed me about the conclusion of Endgame. It's not attempting to fix anything else and it probably counts as canon-compliant. 
> 
> This will only make sense if you've seen Endgame. 
> 
> Also, I've only just written it and it hasn't been proof-read, so please forgive any typos.

Bucky watched Sam go over to Steve for whatever touching goodbye Steve had planned. He'd probably been working on his farewell speech for the past several decades. 

"Aren't you going over there?" Bruce asked. 

Bucky shook his head. He didn't need to go and talk to Steve right now. He would have plenty of time for that later; he was just relieved to see Steve here, alive and well. Since the moment Steve had mentioned his ridiculous plan, Bucky had worried that something might go wrong, that Steve might get hurt or killed back in the past and he would never see him again. Bucky wasn't sure how he would handle that, except that he wouldn't exactly be the only one around here to contemplate fixing problems with time travel. But he didn't need to, at least not in that way, because Steve was here, just a little older and greyer. 

So Bucky said, "Steve told me about your first attempt at a time travel machine, how you made Scott a baby." 

"Yeah, I..." Bruce looked over where Steve was sitting, offering out the shield to Sam. "It was destroyed when the base was attacked, but I have the schematics. I could rebuild it, but are you sure Steve will want this? He did choose to go the long way round?" 

Bucky nodded again. "We talked about it. He regretted not getting grow old with Peggy, but he told me he didn't want to miss out on growing old with me either." 

It was more honest than Bucky had been with almost anyone about his feelings for Steve, but Steve trusted Bruce and he deserved to know what he was working on, what he was giving to them both if he helped them with this. Bucky didn't think he would take it badly and, sure enough, Bruce gave him a smile, "I'm happy for you." 

"Thanks." 

"I guess I've got work to do then." 

"I appreciate it. We'll name one of our goats after you." 

It was meant mostly seriously, but Bruce laughed. He headed back towards the compound. As Sam walked away as well, shield in hand, Bucky went to take the place on the bench beside Steve. 

"How was it?" he asked. 

"Good. I had a quiet life, kept to the shadows, stayed away from historians and photographers. The last few years were a bit lonely, but I knew what I was waiting for would be worth it, and before that I was happy. I found I quite liked being a house husband." 

"Does this mean you've learned how to cook?" 

Steve cracked a smile and the expression made him look about a decade younger, but still far older than Bucky. 

"You'll have to see," Steve said. "Dinner tonight?" 

"My pleasure. I've talk to Bruce and he'll need some time to put the machine together." 

"That gives me a chance to say goodbye to the others." 

"Do you plan on telling them about what we've arranged with Bruce?" 

"Maybe. I don't know. It doesn't seem right to lie to them but on the other hand, maybe it's time Steve Rogers slips quietly into retirement. The less people who know, the easier that will be." 

Bucky slipped his hand into Steve's. It was a little dry and rough, the skin older and more wrinkled, but not for long. The next time Steve looked like this, Bucky would be a match for him, right at his side, the way he was always meant to be. He didn't mind Steve's detour to spend time with Peggy. He'd always known who Steve would come back to.

**Author's Note:**

> I've posted my thoughts on Endgame, the good and the bad, [over on Tumblr](https://jessicameats.tumblr.com/post/184483166914/endgame-thoughts) if anyone is interested. The link has spoilers.


End file.
